“Who are you advising not to bother meeting with me?” a gruff voice said from the doorway.

The man speaking to me took a step back, bowing his head. “Chief Adviser, I was just… well, you’re so busy, and…”

“That is something my secretary can determine. I don’t need the Minister of Agriculture appointing himself to that role.”

“Yes, you’re right. Apologies, Chief Adviser.”

The chief adviser was much younger than I was expecting. I’d anticipated an elderly man to come hobbling through the door. Although his hair and beard were streaked with gray, he had the look of a military man more than a politician. I suspected that might be his history. I also suspected I’d find out soon enough.

The minister turned to walk away but was stopped.

“Where are you going, Minister? I came to deliver a message to you on behalf of the new emperor.”

The minister turned, bowing and waiting for the next words. His demeanor had changed significantly from when he’d been talking to me to now. He did not look the chief adviser in the eyes. It seemed he dreaded what was coming.

“Apologies. I am eager to receive His Majesty’s message,” he said, speaking in a hushed tone.

Chief Adviser Tannis wore a hard expression, as if he was about to scold a child.

“His Majesty has done a thorough audit of your work. In his mercy, he has asked me to tell you that, if you value your head, you will rein in the problem. Is that clear?”

The minister dropped to his knees, startling me. He pressed his hands on the floor, resting his forehead against them.

“Please thank His Majesty for his mercy!” he shouted. “I will not disappoint him.”

Who exactly was this new emperor? This man, a minister, was terrified.

“Please rise, Minister Albus. Take comfort in the fact that you were not the first minister to receive this message today, and you will not be the last. His Majesty wishes for his expectations to be clearly known so that the consequences will not come as a surprise… should you fall short.”

“I swear that will not happen!” Minister Albus said as he rose to his feet. He bowed twice, then scurried away, snapping his fingers at the others working in his office as he did. They were no longer lounging about but working in earnest. Everyone had been listening carefully to the conversation and was careful not to draw that kind of attention to themselves.

“Now, you…” he said, lowering his gaze to me. “Who are you, and why do you wish to meet with our emperor?”

“I’m Taylor, former professor and scientist of PanTech Corporation. I have—”

Chief Adviser Tannis turned and began to walk away. “Your first sentence is plenty. The emperor will not see you.”

I grabbed his arm, turning him around. His gaze drifted to my hand, and he narrowed his eyes. He grabbed my wrist with his other hand, pulling it away. Taking a step back, he drew his sword. I drew Twisted Key, waiting for him to make the first move.

Ghost had flown to a nearby bookshelf, flapping his feathers furiously. “Taylor, must you always—”

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“Guess so,” I answered, grinning as I kept my eyes on Tannis.

His attention snapped to Ghost.

“That is no ordinary falcon.”

“Thank you for noticing. It would really be better for you if we didn’t fight,” I said.

“Don’t be so sure about that. Unlike most others in His Majesty’s service, my sword is not just for show.”

“I suspected that. Let me guess… high-ranking military. A captain? General, maybe.”

“That needn’t concern you,” he said. He was very confident but careful. He wasn’t bragging—only warning me that pushing this might not go as smoothly as I’d hoped. That was also the intention of my warning, and so we stood there at the ready.

Had I been a bit wiser, I’d have taken this moment to deescalate. Instead, I found myself curious and wanting to test the man. Maybe a brief duel would make him realize that, like himself, I also was not the typical person of my station.

“Unlike most other scientists, mine isn’t for show either.”

He chuckled at that, then pointed to me, gesturing for me to approach him.

I stepped hard off my dominant foot, careful to use only the smallest bit of my enhancer—just enough to place us on equal ground regarding physical strength. With both hands, I brought my sword down. He ducked, gliding to his side. He was so quick on his feet that it was hard to imagine someone who wasn’t enhanced focusing on those two movements at the same time. It was well-practiced. A lifetime, perhaps.

Remembering my mother’s training, I held my sword high and over my shoulder, positioning my left side toward him in anticipation of his counter. When it came, I struck the blade hard. Normally, this would disarm someone, but not Tannis. He tensed, clenching his teeth as the vibration from the blade tore through his body. He held tightly to the grip of his weapon, stepping forward and preparing a follow-up strike.

“Stand down, Tannis,” a man’s voice called. As I brought my blade up to meet his, he instantly halted his strike, sheathed his weapon, turned toward the man in the doorway, and dropped to one knee.

“Your Majesty,” Tannis said, lowering his head.

“I believe I asked you to deliver my message to the ministers…”

“Of course. I will hasten to do so.”

This must be the soon-to-be emperor. The icy expression he wore could’ve chilled the very air around us. There wasn’t a single hint of curiosity in his eyes about the spectacle that had just taken place before him. He was completely unmoved by a sword duel involving his chief adviser and even less interested in me—an outsider making trouble in his lands. Or… maybe it wasn’t right to say he wasn’t interested. He looked at me like I was completely insignificant.

He couldn’t have been more than a few years older than I. He was somewhat gaunt, with sharp features. His long, black hair was soft and straight, fluttering in the light breeze. Most of it was pulled up in a small metal hairpiece. His red robes were made from high-quality silk and flowed almost hypnotically with the grace of his movements. He looked very much like a prince or emperor.

“I have a matter of grave importance to discuss with you, Your Majesty,” I said.

“If the matter led to you crossing swords with my chief adviser, then I have no interest in your games. Enjoy the festivities,” he said, turning to walk away.

“I didn’t have a chance to discuss anything with him.”

“If you’re saying your manners alone offended Tannis enough to draw his sword, then I most definitely have nothing to say to you.”

“It’s about the virus. I have a cure for it,” I blurted, sensing I might not have another opportunity to get through to him.

He stopped, glancing over his shoulder at me.

“That’s odd. I assumed this virus was a cure in the eyes of PanTech—population control or some approach to eugenics, trait selection.”

He was very perceptive. That conclusion might have been obvious to me, but this man had never set foot in PanTech. Even Adversity Management didn’t know the truth behind the president’s motivation for unleashing the virus. Yet, this man had deduced it accurately.

The faintest grin appeared at the edge of his mouth, almost imperceptible.

“Your hesitation in answering is all the confirmation I need. Enjoy the festivities, then be gone.”

“I tried to stop the virus.”

He continued to stare at me with his piercing brown eyes. No words I spoke seemed to get through. He had no interest in me or anything I had to say, and I was doing a poor job of convincing him.

“It appears you failed,” he said.

Those words were like a knife through the heart. Yes, I’d failed to stop it, but I was doing everything I could now. Everywhere I went, someone needlessly stood in my way.

“Let me help your people.”

He ignored me and resumed walking.

“Don’t you care about your people?” I shouted.

He paused, but only for a moment, then walked away. He did not turn around to answer me or even acknowledge my question.

We’d only met once, and I already very much disliked this man.